Automatic door release mechanism



Jul 18, 1933. M: KIRNBAUER 1,918,847

AUTOMATIC DOOR RELEASE MECHANISM Filed Dec. 7, 1952. 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 July 18, 1933. M, KlRNBAUER I 1,918,847

AUTOMATIC DOOR RELEASE MECHANISM Filed Dec. 7, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 i g m w Wm llllllllllllllllllll)'llllllllllllllllll IIIIIIllIlllllllllllllllllllllll Patented July is, 1933 1 retest? MICHAE KIR-NBAUER;- F ronnsr rAaK," rmrirnors AUroMATrc noon RELEASE ivrncrmnrslvr Application filed December 7, 1932. Serial. No. 646,123.

This invention relates to that type of automatic closing mechanisms for garage and like doors, in which the door is held in an open condition by a latching mechanism wheels of a vehicle, to permit a closing mechanism associated wlth the door tobecome 7 active and automatically effect a closure of the garage door, an example of which is disclosed in the subject matter of my prior Patent No. 1.620,109, dated March 8, 1927. And this improvement has for its objects To provide a structural formation and combination of parts of an automaticclosing mechanism for'garage and like doors, and

wherein a successive passage of the frontand rear wheels of a vehicle can take place over the threshold of the garage doorway, before the closing mechanism of the door is fully 1. illustrating the twin door arrange ment for garages intended for the reception of two motor vehicles.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional elevat1on of the retarding means for checking the' closing movement of the door in this improvement.

Fig. 4L is an enlarged side elevatlo-n with parts in section, of the latching mechanism in an open door latching condition.

Fig. 5 is a similar view of the latching mechanism, with the parts in condition for holding the door an intermediate condition ready for a release movement, with a secondary upward movement of the latching bar of the mechanism.

Fig. 6 is a transverse section on line 66,

' A Fig. 4, of the latching mechanism with parts in latching engagement with the door.

Like reference numerals indicatelike parts in the several'views, V I

In this improvement a garage door is shown supported on an overhead track 2, by the usual hangers 3, with a normal tendency to move to a'cl'osed condition underftheinfiuence of a flexible pull connection 4 and gravity weight 5, as'illustra ed in Fig. 1.

In the construction shown, the threshold or sill of the doorway is formed with a -receiving channel for the reception of anopen top casing 6 of approximately double the length of the door l and adapted to receive I the lower edge of the same. Where the ordinary dual arrangement of garage doors is used, the same will have the usual parallel ar rangement of overhead tracks 2 and open top casings 6, as illustrated in Fig. 2.

In th constructionshown, a-forward stop j I flange or-lug7 is fixed on the faceof the door 6 1, adjacent to the loweradvance corner of the door, and in connection with said forward stop lug 7, a rearward stop lug 8 is also fixedly attached to the door and arranged in-avertical plane below and to the rear of the main stop lug 7, the horizontal'distancebetween the said stop lugs be'ing'less than the distancebetween the pair of ratchet teeth of the movable latching bar 9, now. toibe described. j I @1 The movable latching bar 9, of the latching means above referred to, is preferably of the bar type, pivotally mounted at its mid- 7 length in the open top'casing 6, with one arm carrying a gravity weight 10, and the upperedge of its other arm projecting 'a" dis-.] tance above the threshold of the doorway for-f operative engagement by the wheels of a passing vehicl c i v At the free end of the lastmentioned arm of the latching bar .9, the same is formed with a pair-ofratchet teeth 11 and 11" adapted for. serial holdingengagement with-the aforesaid main stop lug 7 ofthe doonand said arm is also provided with a lateral lug 12 adapted for holding engagement with the aforesaid rearward stop lug 8' of the door 1.

Ihe relative arrangement of the above de-. scribed latching parts is such, that with a firstdepression of the latching bar byth l'uc -14, of such track face as shown in big.

passage, over the same of thefront wheel of a passing vehicle its ratchet tooth 11 will move down out of engagementwith the forward stop lug Y of the door and at the same time the lateral lug 12 oft-he ratchet bar 9 will move down into the path of the rearward stop lug 8 of the door,-so that with a very slight movement of the door in a closing direction, saidrearward stop lug 8 will' nove into holding contact with the stop lug 12 of the ratchet bar 9, and with the forward stop lug 7 of the door carried past its engagement with the aforesaid ratchet tooth 11. F With the passage of the front wheel of the vehicle past the latching bar 9, the holding engagement between the aforesaid-stop lug 12 and the rearward stop lug 8 is released, to permit pull connection a and gravity weight 5 aforesaid.

Retarding means to prevent undue speed in theactiveioperation of the above described ratchet release means so as to prevent a jump of the main stop lug 7 past the ratchet tooth 11 anda premature closing of me door 1,

is provided and in the construction shown comprises A depending track rail 13 having fixed association with the track rail 2, in adjacent relationto the le it side of the doorway of the garage structure shown in Fig.1, with the main under track face of said rail having a downward inclination away from suchjleft hand end of the track, and such left hand end is formed with abrupt upvard. enter And in parallel relation'with saidupward extension 14 of the track face a'su Jlementar i a i J inclined track rail 15 is i'ixedlysecured in spacedrelation to said track, extension l t, to form a receiving and guiding passage for the track roller" of the hydrostatic retarding means now to be described: 7

A closedfluid containingcylindei' 16 is fixedly attached to the garage door 1,in aligned relation beneath the track extension 14 and supplementary rail 15.: Said cylinder is of the closed t ipe and provides a 1 piston chainberfora piston head 1?, the piston rod 18 of which asses throu h the u V e ea per lieail'of the cylinder and carries at its uppcrend the track roller 19 for operative engagement with "the track rail 13 and the passage between the track extension 14 and supplementary rail above described.

A closed receiving chamber 20 is arranged in side rel. 'on to the cylinder 16 aforesaid, and has communication tl'ierewith by a larger COllllGCtlllg passage 21a:- the mid-height of the interior of the cylinder 1(5,'and by means of a smaller and controllable connecting passage 22 at the lowerend of the int rior of said cylinder 16'.

The arran ement being such that'until the piston head 17 passes and closes the larger passage 2i, with such movement correspondn w th the i idi release movement 5 the ,1 Y J. A',"., tailing mechanism, littleir any ispresent 'tarding, action takes ilace. cownward movement of the piston head 17, further passage of the fluid from the cylinder i theismaller U a consequent v i a e A ed of action of the present latching mechanism, and with. ich're- (in the further tarding effect occurring at the same time that y the liche relea. .d its stop eng e stop rib 7 or". he door; a

y o, a sudd n jump or ship of the stop rib" past one or both of 'the ratchet teeth 11-, 1 the ,ratchrt hi 0, with a of the door is effectively premature prevented. v a a No claim is made in this application to the special construction of the above described retarding means. a

Having thus fully described my invention 1 what I claim as new, is

1. In a door releasemechanism,

the comb: "tion of a-door, a' forward stop lug and 'ar lu carried by the door with saie. lugs a gen in spaced horizontal and ve tical ion one to the other, and a lllOYi'tblQ l bar adapted for serial 'ation passing formed rout aiidthe rear wheel said latching means ir-of holding notches "'enient with the afored with a lateralstop stop engagement with the ard stop lug of the door in 'al release of the door in a the same.

:cha nisin claim i and w comprises a pivo I .1! J n fl oi -at (b i a bar-for lree t n 

